This invention relates to transportation cases, particularly for carrying heavy items. More particularly, this invention relates to transportation cases for shipping a multitude of different sizes of aircraft brake assemblies via a common carrier.
A number of difficulties are encountered in providing a transportation case for shipping a heavy object by a common carrier, such as a truck or aircraft. The transportation case must be strong enough to support a heavy object during the accelerations encountered during shipping and, if the object is also fragile, the case must be sufficiently shock resistant to resist the effects of impacts as well. And it is especially important when shipping objects that are both heavy and fragile, that ease of loading the object into and unloading the object from the container, as well as ease of carrying the loaded transportation case, is provided so as to prevent damage to the object as well as the surroundings, and so as to prevent injury.
The transportation case should resist any contaminants that might emanate from the object. This is particularly important when shipping mechanical parts employing a reactive hydraulic fluid which may leak therefrom. The means for securing the object within the case should be easy to employ and, in particular, should be lightweight so that they are easy to manipulate. And, although especially difficult to provide when transporting a heavy object, the case and the means for securing the object therein should be as lightweight as practical so as not to add appreciably to the shipping weight. Finally, if a specialized means for loading the object into or removing the object from the case is employed, the case must be adapted to suit.
In addition, where a plurality of transportation cases are employed, the shipping cases are often stacked, one on top of the other, either before loading, as loaded, or after unloading. However, especially while stacked as loaded on a moving carrier, the stacked cases are subject to undesirable and, sometimes dangerous, instability. Further, transportation cases are often subject to extreme physical abuse and wear, particularly when stacked on top of one another.
Moreover, it is especially desirable that, if the object is one of a multitude of different sizes of that type of object, one transportation case provide for accommodating all of the sizes. In particular, where aircraft brake assemblies are to be shipped via aircraft, the case must be capable of accommodating multiple sizes of different brakes wherein the brakes may weigh about 500 pounds or more. Especially since the brakes often have fragile internal parts, the case must insulate the brakes from impacts. It should also be resistant to aircraft brake fluid and be capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -40 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit encountered during world-wide shipping in common carriers such as planes, trains, trucks and ships.
Typical prior art cases for transporting heavy objects are often themselves heavy and employ heavy securing means for securing the object therein. And, often, the securing means is awkward to use because it requires complex manual operation and adjustment as well as being bulky and heavy.
A prior art case specifically adapted to transport aircraft brake assemblies provides for carrying the substantially cylindrical brake assembly in a horizontally disposed orientation, so that the cylindrical axis is parallel to the ground. However, aircraft brake loading and unloading equipment is adapted to pick up and place the object from a configuration in which the object lies with its cylindrical axis upright. Therefore, cases such as these require that the object be moved into and out of its upright configuration outside the case.
Some prior art cases adapted for transporting heavy objects having an aperture therethrough provide a threaded metal rod adapted to be inserted through the aperture, the threaded metal rod hooking or fastening to a bottom surface and receiving at its other end a threaded cap to force the object down against the bottom surface. But the metal rod poses a danger to internal parts that may be accessible through the aperture. In particular, aircraft brake assemblies include internal parts that may be damaged by such a threaded rod extending through the brake bore. In addition, the rod does not provide substantial resistance to lateral movement of the brake within the case. Such movement can damage the brake to the point of making it unserviceable.
Moreover, where such a rod is integral to the case, when the rod is bent or otherwise damaged to the extent it does not function properly, the entire case becomes unserviceable and must be discarded.
Finally, all known prior art cases require manual adjustment of a hold-down mechanism in order to secure the brake to the case.
Accordingly, there is a need for a novel and improved transportation case for a heavy object that provides for increased ease of use, strength, resistance to shock and environmental conditions, ease of loading, unloading and carrying, improved serviceability and flexibility to accommodate various sizes of a heavy object to be transported, as well as provides for decreased weight and cost.